Iraq's Qayyara oil fields won't return to production before Mosul retaken - spokesman

Fire rises from oil wells, set ablaze by Islamic State militants before fleeing the oil-producing region of Qayyara, Iraq, which has been recaptured by Iraqi forces, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - It gets darker earlier these days in the northern Iraqi town of Qayyara, which Islamic State militants abandoned about a week ago after setting fire to many of the region's oil wells.

Smoke billowing into the sky during a Reuters visit on Monday blotted out the sun in central districts hours before nightfall, producing an apocalyptic scene in this desert settlement which lacks electricity amid 49 degree Celsius (120°F) temperatures.